DECEMBER 2015
ISSUE 17
T H E N E T W O RK Kingfisher - bigger than you think 2015 has been a great year for the Network. We tend to think of Kingfisher as being the two churches that meet in Gloucester, but of course Kingfisher Network is far bigger and more far-reaching than that. It includes the publishing house, Kingfisher Resources; the Social Enterprise, Treasure Seekers, the network of churches in Malawi, in Mozambique and in India, as well as the churches in Gloucester. This year, Kingfisher Resources has published two resources: the DVD-based course, Shaped for Significance and the book, My Confession. Both of these resources have already been put to good use in our Connect groups and at a personal level, and have been rolled out to church leaders around the international network. These resources are changing lives as God breaks though negativity and damage with the message, 'You are who God says you are; you can do what God says you can do; you can achieve what God says you can achieve'.
experiencing oppression and opposition because of their faith, as well as a teaching centre for pastors and a church building on Sundays!
the pastors conference in Delhi. He reported that he has now been arrested three times for his faith in Christ, but the church keeps on growing.
In India, just one of the churches, Kingfisher is a bit like the Tardis situated in Harridwar in over 40 bigger than you think! locations across the city, has now grown to over 2000 people, all converts from the Hindu religion. It's leader, Pastor Mangesingh was at
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Pastor Mangesingh, leader of Kingfisher church, Harridwar
The Social Enterprise is growing at a breath-taking pace, with new groups starting all the time, reaching out to areas of need in the community. From sociallyisolated seniors to disengaged teenagers, groups are being formed, needs are being met and the Westgate Street building is buzzing with life every day of the week. In Mozambique, the number of churches has gone from just three to twelve in just two years, with the Centre that we financed in a village called Mauza now being us as a school, as a refuge for those
Kingfisher church pastors and leaders being taught the principles of My Confession at a leadership conference in Delhi, India in November
News from Kingfisher Malawi Visit to Malawi October 2015 In October, James and I travelled to Malawi to encourage the Kingfisher Leaders who serve the churches there. Kingfisher Church in both Malawi and Mozambique were represented, and we encouraged them with our teaching on “My Confession”, the importance of agreeing with God and what He says to us. We also found time to meet with the Kingfisher Malawi Board to plan and to pray together for the future of Kingfisher Network in that great nation.
that Andrew will be blessed and will himself continue to be a blessing to the folks in Kingfisher Church, Malawi. May many people become followers of Christ through his ministry. by Stuart Gray
While we were all together, Andrew Mithowa, a new Kingfisher Pastor in Malawi, was commissioned by James and his father Charles in front of many of the Kingfisher Leaders. We pray
Charity curry night at Kingfisher Tredworth On 31st October we enjoyed one of our all church get togethers and it was so good to see people from Tredworth, Kingsway and from some of our outreach groups all gathered in one place, not only enjoying great company but also some great food. It was advertised as a curry night and we had a selection of over 10 different curries to choose from that ranged from Chinese through Indian, Iranian, Turkish and even some Mexican plus all the trimmings. There is something about joining together to cook and eat that builds a real sense of community so thanks to all those who took part and helped serve and clear on the night and much appreciation to
Steve Evans who organised the event. £210 was raised for Macmillan Nurses! Watch out next year for a Chinese themed event and an Italian maybe!!
News from Kingfisher India A trip to Kingfisher India India is a place I love. It is though a country of vast contrasts, often side by side. I know of no other place where a new state of the art metro system and shopping mall is built next to ramshackle shacks where the untouchables live. A country where the festival of lights, Diwali, is celebrated using the loudest, least colourful fireworks that I have ever seen or heard. This was my third trip to India and my second with James. We met with Simon Haqq, Kingfisher Networks National Director for India. Simon is a larger than life character who God has used to lead thousands of people to Christ and he has prayed for and seen God heal many sick people. Our trip started with a pastors and leaders conference hosted by Kingfisher Network. This was a great opportunity to meet with existing Kingfisher pastors and hear how God has been using them since our last visit, as well as sharing with many other pastors from around Delhi and beyond. Of the 150 pastors that attended the conference several had travelled over ten hours from the Punjab and other states. It was fantastic to see so many young people attending and at the end of the teaching, James commissioned several new Kingfisher Pastors. Kingfisher also hosted a believer’s conference which was attended by over 250 people. In true
Kingfisher tradition when we arrived there were only about 50 people at the venue but by half way through the first session James had to move off the main floor and stand on the altar. The teaching was really well received and a special mention goes to Pastor Sharma who translated so well for us on both occasions and was a real encouragement to us both. We met with many Christians including several who had only just committed their lives to Christ. It was a special day with lots of worship which like everything else in India was very loud. Over the next few months we are going to be preparing a correspondence course based on the Foundation, Shape for Significance and School of Theology courses. These will be translated into Hindi and sent out to members of Kingfisher Network who want to further their walk with Christ. This is an exciting new venture that will see the church in India better equipped to reach their communities with the gospel. Finally I would like to share with you something I shared with the Kingfisher pastors in India. As I was preparing to go to India, God
spoke to me about how far we have come as a church. When I started at Kingfisher I was one of a dozen people who had a common belief that God wanted us to create a church to make a difference here in Gloucester. By standing firm to the vision that we believed God has given us we have continued to trust God that we will prevail. Today on three continents, thousands of Christians are part of the Kingfisher Network; but what does this mean in reality? Well, Delhi is 5.5 hours ahead of the UK so prayer at a 9am service in India starts at 3.30am GMT. As the churches in India are finishing their services, the UK churches are starting. At 12.30pm as our services end, the churches in Malawi and Mozambique start, as they are two hours ahead of us. My point is that if you allow for the morning and evening services, on a Sunday, Kingfisher people are praying for the church for 24 hours. This has to make a difference in the Kingdom. We know that in Christ Jesus all things are possible, so today let that be our confession throughout the whole Kingfisher Network. by Stuart Seagrave
News from Kingfisher Tredworth New discussion group for teenage boys Looking forward to an abundance of meetings in 2016 and spending time growing together and focussing on what God is saying to us. Next session is December 6th at 4.00pm. Cherished also meets one Sunday a month from 12-1.30pm at Sharon Blagden’s house. The next session is on Sunday 6th December. Blueprint was born out of the idea to resurrect Cherished (the discussion group for teenage girls). We wanted to have a good outlet for teenage boys to meet together and discuss issues that they were struggling with in a more intimate environment. We launched in October, meeting once a month on a Sunday before the evening service. The group has rapidly become a place for young guys to chat with and support each other in their walk with Jesus. In our most recent session we talked about how we discuss Jesus with our friends that don't yet know him.
Pre-school fundraising Kingfisher Tredworth Pre-school ran some fundraisers in the summer to raise money for new toys. Altogether we raised over £400 with our sponsored obstacle course. This was topped up by a generous donation from EG Carters (a local building firm) who donated £100 worth of Toys R Us vouchers. We bought new ride on toys, a tool bench, a toy kitchen and spent some money on age relevant toys for some of the older children at Dad’s Only. As you can see from the photos the children are really enjoying playing with them!
Police Christmas carol service Friday 18th December, 7pm at Gloucester Cathedral Our very own TSPA choir and puppet team will be performing
New Year’s Eve Meal Thursday 31st December
7pm - 10pm at Kingfisher Tredworth Bring and share some food as we look back on 2015 and thank God for all He’s done.
News from Kingfisher Kingsway A year of change and growth As we approach the end of 2015, we can look back at Kingsway at a really positive year. We have been meeting in Kingsway community centre since the beginning of the year and have, over that time, experienced almost 100% growth in terms of Sunday attendance. The pre-school group, Little Fishes, has grown strongly throughout the year, too, as has our youth group, 180. It had been wonderful to have welcomed Stuart and Janet Gray, as Stuart took up his role as Assistant Pastor at Easter. Both Stuart and Janet have quickly settled into the life of the church and the exciting news is that, after prayer and discussion, James and the elders felt it right to invite Stuart to step up and become the pastor of Kingfisher Kingsway. The great news is that Stuart has accepted this offer and will be commissioned at Easter, 2016. We are ending this year with some great Christmas services. Our Nativity service is on
Kingfisher church Harvest Appeal This year Kingfisher church raised a fantastic £2,800 during our Harvest appeal! The money was split evenly between Tearfund’s Refugee Crisis Fund and the World Cafe - a local organisation working with refugees in Gloucester. Thank you to everyone who gave so generously.
December 13th and, in addition to seeing the children participate in a Nativity play, we are really looking forward to welcoming our newly-formed youth band to play at the service. December 20th is our Carol and Christingle service and we are praying for a record number of people to come along to both these services and for the Spirit of God to open people's hearts and minds to the truth of the Christmas season. 2016 looks set to be a really exciting year at kingfisher Kingsway!
Stuart and Janet Gray with their daughters Naomi and Becky
Fundraising for a place in the London Marathon! Heather McKinlay from Kingfisher Kingsway is taking part in her very first marathon next April. She is raising money for Bliss, a charity that helps families with babies that are born too soon, too small or too sick. Heather is aiming to raise £2,500 for Bliss and she recently held a cake and book sale at Little Fishes and church and raised £100. If you would like to support Heather in raising money for this charity that is close to her heart please check out her facebook page.
Heather with her children Jessica and Oliver
News from Kingfisher Treasure Seekers Christmas at Treasure Seekers Christmas may have arrived at Treasure Seekers in terms of decorations and Christmas trees, and fantastic offers like getting a free Christmas present at the Cavern when you spend a certain amount, however, our Christmas Events haven't even started yet! Check out these fab events and don't miss out!!
Date and time
Event
Venue
3rd and 4th Dec, 6.30pm and 11am
TSPA Christmas Show
Police HQ, Waterwells
5th Dec, 8pm
Christmas Jazz Night
The Cavern
12th Dec, 8pm
Christmas Quiz Night
The Cavern
14th, 15th, 16th Dec, 7pm
Christmas Disco
Kingfisher Tredworth
15th Dec, 10am
Christmas Coffee Morning
Kingfisher Tredworth
18th Dec, 8pm
Christmas Youth Night
The Cavern
18th Dec, 7pm
TSPA Choir performing
Gloucester Cathedral
21st Dec, 8pm
Christmas Board Game Night
The Cavern
22nd Dec, 1pm
Senior Citizens Christmas Lunch
The TS Building
23rd Dec, 8pm
Christmas Open Mic Night
The Cavern
Christianity for Star Wars fans Over the summer, a group of six people gathered in the Cavern to think about their favourite movie franchise. Hey – the FIRST (and best) movie franchise ever! We explored how the truth and hope from the Bible comes through the unfolding Star Wars Saga. Really excellent discussions were had in a mixed group of Christians together with folks who are
still considering spiritual things…but would not call themselves followers of Jesus yet. Maybe you’ve got a friend who loves Star Wars. Well – stay tuned for the return of Christianity for Star Wars Fans soon. In the meantime – “Christianity for Middle Earth Fans” kicks off on Monday nights at the
Cavern in January. If you’ve got someone in your life who loves Tolkein…and who’s not yet a Christian…do them a favour and let them know about it? “It's a dangerous business…going out your door.You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” – Bilbo Baggins
News from the Food bank team Gas and electricity at the Foodbank “Do you have cooking facilities?” This is one of the standard questions that volunteers ask foodbank clients before we pack their food parcels. In the past we would substitute things which can be eaten cold if they were unable to pay for gas and electricity and therefore unable to cook the food which we give to them. However, since this summer, the Foodbank has been involved in a pilot scheme in which those who are experiencing energy poverty can receive a Fuel Bank voucher with their food parcel to help out during their crisis period. On Thursdays Mary, Gordon, Gill, Bob, Andrea and Veronica volunteer to serve members of the public at the Foodbank on Western Road. These
Clockwise from top: Andrea from Kingfisher Tredworth arranging for a client to receive a Fuel Bank voucher to provide gas/electricity for hot meals; Gill from Kingfisher Tredworth working with Tom from City church; Gordon from Kingfisher Kingsway; Veronica from Kingfisher Tredworth working with Annerliese from City church; Gill and Gordon picking and packing the food.
photographs show some of us serving with colleagues from other local churches: making up food parcels and trying to provide practical information that clients can use to resolve the underlying cause of their crisis. The Kingfisher team meets regularly at Kingfisher Tredworth over a cup of tea to support each other and to pray for the work of the foodbank. Would you like to become a foodbank volunteer? Can you commit to serve once a month on Thursdays from 11.15am-2.45pm, or more often - or even just as an occasional stand in for emergency cover? Please contact Veronica Tullett
Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
GET INVOLVED WITH THE NEWSLETTER! In order for this newsletter to grow and develop, we need your help! If you go to any Kingfisher event and have taken a great photo, then please email it to Kirsty at info@kingfisher.org.uk. The copy deadline for the next issue (due out in March) is 22nd February . Or if you would like to get involved in the production of the next newsletter then email us with your particular area of interest. Hope you enjoy hearing all that is happening across the Kingfisher Network!
Kingfisher Network Kingfisher Church Moor Street Tredworth Gloucester GL1 4NJ www.kingfisher.org.uk info@kingfisher.org.uk +441452 304339 Š Kingfisher Church, 2013